Events in Cities

[tuxianer1988]

Hey,

I was thinking about an, personally, interesting feature. I would ask whether it is possible it include some events into the game. I am not (!) talking about accidents of vehicles or so, I am talking of events like Football Games, Olympic Games, trade fairs etc. These games might occur in one city or several like Football Champion Chip. As the result the Passenger traffic within and to the city increases and makes transporting passengers a more dynamic task.

If possible behind every event a time line can be suggested, so that not every event occurs every year ! Additionally, events might be limited that they CAN only occur in cities where the attraction of a soccer stadium exists. I have found that this has been discussed in 2006 in the German Forum : http://www.simutrans-forum.de/forum/thread.php?threadid=1858&threadview=1&hilight=&hilightuser=0&sid=a9bffeb2c582461fdff3fec3f14b059e

But the discussion did not go one further. Thus I thought of bringing it up again ! I am very keen what you think about it and also whether it is possible to implement this into the game !

I, personally, would appreciate this higher dynamic in the game especially with regard to the passenger transport.

Regards

Edit 1: I have found this post: http://archive.forum.simutrans.com/topic/05697.0/index.html With the explanation that it is not possible to plan ahead with such events. If these events are announced a year before with reminders than the player has enough time to structure the network and prepare with this event !

Edit 2: I am absolutely not talking about subsidies, like in TTD, this is completely out of my request ! I am really just talking about public events !

[vilvoh]

Sounds interesting, imho better than the disaster's request, and fits perfectly with the Simutrans philosophy, transport stuff. It could be implemented as objects associated to buildings, for example:

Code Select Expand


Name = Footbal World Cup
Obj = event
Pass =  5000
chance = 15
intromonth = 6
introyear = 2010
retiremonth = 7
retireyear = 2010
buildingname = Stadium


[tuxianer1988]

Yes this would be a possibility but I would rather adjust the named objects as follows:

Code Select Expand

Name = Footbal World Cup
Obj = event
Pass =  5000
chance = <- dynamically number of cities with building: stadium
intromonth = 6
duration_in_months = 1
announce_event = 1 <- 1 means 1 year prior
reminder = 3 <- every 3 months
frequency = 4 <- events happens every 4 years
buildingname = Stadium

[jamespetts]

Interesting thought. There may be something to be said for having a more general discussion about whether how to make passenger demand variable, as the variability of passenger demand throughout the day, week and year is extremely important as regards the maximum utilisation efficiency of the passenger network (which is far lower than if passenger demand was steady). On the one hand, one might say that it is important to model such things so that Simutrans balances in a more realistic fashion; on the other, one might say that the balance can be compensated for adequately simply by reducing passenger revenue globally and that a comprehensive system of variable demand (likely by month and/or year, as doing it by Simutrans "day" would likely be impracticable) would be too tricky both to implement and to play (as there would probably have to be some automated or semi-automated mechanism for varying the number of vehicles in service, which could probably be done, but would need considerably more controls).

[tuxianer1988]

Hi jamespetts,

you are absolutely right, an automatic mechanism is far too much ! And it is not what was intended by with this request ! The passengar demand should in generel be stay as it is with one exception in case of such events which are announced and reminded before (a year before announced and than constant reminders). I am totally with you that adding/removing trains and busses on a monthly or even daily bases is not advisible. Thus I brought up the idea of early "warning" so that the player is able to prepare itself for the situation.

My idea should not, in any case, distrub the player something and it is not to make the balances more realistic. It is just about making the play a little bit more diverse and realistic and challenge experienced players especially in terms of passenger networks !

Hope I could make my self clear, about what I intended!

Greetz

[Václav]

May it be you shall disagree with me. This would be used also for some special effects on industry.

For example some years are wet and some dry. Or some animals are periodically overgrowth. All of it affect harvest. And this could be implemented into Simutrans - regardless of it is on edge of denied features.

I originally thought also about effect on transport rates - but it would be too difficult to do.

[tuxianer1988]

@VaclavMacurek,

you are absolutly right, we could span it the complete way from industry to transporation to citiziens. As I said my first intention is/was just to have events effecting public transport not the transportation of goods. From a logical point of view, I thought, that starting with the effects of events for public transport would make its way so that, later, may be those events can be added to transporation of goods as well!

The idea is not to distrub existing transporation system it is more to challenge them more and also to make the game play for a "developed" game a little bit more diversified!

[colonyan]

I agree that having fluctuation in demand is interesting.
Given that vehicles are given appropriate fixed maintenance cost per month, it could become
good challenge factor.

Along side of this, I always wanted to have workday/holiday expression in ST.

I played The Tower(Sim Tower) back in 1998,1999. Demand was different depending on
your tower's content. So you had to make a schedule for workday and holiday for your elevator set(s).
If you made wait your tenants and its clienteles too much for elevator, you were ruined.

Now simutrans is completely another issue.
Transported entities does not sense how much time it consumed. Since simutans counts in really detailed manner,
to one passenger to one sac of bag it would require some super computer and a large group of tester to balance the game. (I guess only)

But if only expressed passenger/mail as a chunk...

[tuxianer1988]

Hey,

I fully agree, but I think that the idea of worday/holiday may be at little to too far at least for the first step. I do not since none of the developers has said something, yet, whether it is technical possible. I would personally code it but unfortunatly I do not have the required skills for programming.

Just to point it out, the idea behind it is more a challenge aspect for the network it shall in now way harm a system or something !

[stmaker]

Good idea.